In Mali, Pretoria Flexes Its Regional Muscle

JOHANNESBURG—South Africa, the continent's political and economic giant, has usually advocated a policy of "African solutions to African problems."

But in the case of Mali, officials here threw their diplomatic weight behind a French solution to an African problem. Pretoria's stance in the West African crisis highlights the pivotal and sometimes unpredictable role South Africa plays in the continent's emergencies and its...